Hamat Teverya/Zippori/Beth Sha'an (Galilee Day 4)

We began the final day of our field study at Hamat Teverya, where we saw our first example of a mosaic floor in the Galilee. We started off going through some background information on the surrounding region. This city was renamed “Tiberias” after the Caesar. There was a thriving Jewish population in this region during the 3rd and 4th century, right during the reign of Emperor Constantine. After a brief background we moved on to discuss the intricate mosaic floor that was a part of the ancient synagogue.

We noticed some differences in the synagogue at Hamat Teverya when compared to other synagogues we’d seen on previous trips. The synagogues we have seen in previous trips only had geometric designs and floral motifs. This synagogue had people, animals, graven images, and astronomy. At its center were the 12 signs of the Zodiac. In the middle of the 12 signs of the Zodiac was Helios, the sun god from Egypt. We also saw religious symbols such as the Menorah. In addition, there were more colors in this synagogue as compared to synagogues we’d seen previously. We noted that the mosaic floor at Sepphoris has 25 different colors. This hints that different color stones were being imported from other countries. In addition, this mosaic floor was much larger and more elaborate than any mosaic we’d seen before.

The most curious thing about this mosaic floor was the presence of what seem to be many pagan symbols in such a religious environment. There are several possibilities as to why this floor has so many pagan symbols. The first possibility is that the Jews that worshipped here were forced to adopt these pagan symbols by the Romans. Another possibility is that these Jews were accommodators to the Romans, much like Samson was somewhat of an accommodator to the Philistines every now and then. Also, it is possible that the synagogue building had a prior use, but we’ll never know for sure. One suggestion is that there was a “relaxation in prohibitions relating to graven images,” but this doesn’t seem like a satisfactory explanation.

The next stop on our journey was the city of Zippori, the home of the “Mona Lisa of Israel.” We first walked through the theater, and spent some time talking about Jesus reference to Hypocrites in the New Testament. We also discussed the close proximity of Nazareth to Zippori. It is quite possible that Jesus as a master builder could’ve worked in this very theater. There probably wasn’t that much demand for a master builder in Nazareth as it was a fairly poor city. It is quite possible that Jesus and Joseph worked at Zippori, and that is where Jesus received some exposure to the theater and actors. It is interesting that when Herod had to dedicate this very theater he chose to have the actors perform the play “Trojan Women.” In this play one of the central characters says, “O Troy, O Troy, how I’ve longed to gather your children like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.” Sound familiar (Matt 23:37, Luke 13:34)? It is pretty cool that Jesus spoke the language of his culture. He knew about the theater, and was able to speak about it in a way that it conveyed a powerful spiritual truth to his audience. Truly the trademark of an amazing teacher.

The "Mona Lisa of Israel" was truly amazing. It was the largest and most elaborate mosaic we would see all day. There were many scenes depicted, including a “procession of merrymakers,” and a drinking contest between two of the gods. It was an interesting and magnificent piece of art.

We ended the day in the Decapolis, at the city of Beth Sha’an/Scythopolis. This city is the only Decapolis city west of the Jordan River. The ruins at Beth Sha’an are some of the most amazing ruins I’ve ever seen. These ruins give you an idea of what life was like in the Decapolis. There was a huge theater, a gymnasium, and many shrines to pagan gods. I can’t imagine what it would’ve been like to try to be a follower of Jesus under those circumstances.